The Henry Sy Sr. Hall (HSSH) is now operational, welcoming DLSU students and faculty alike. With fourteen floors and open grounds, students have repeatedly expressed that the building is conducive for learning and would free up space within the congested areas around Taft.
Jeremiah Grafia, IV BSE-ENG, maintaining a favorable opinion about the building’s aesthetic comments, “The intensive planning of the building is high commendable.”
In a survey conducted by The LaSallian, several respondents praised the Henry Sy Hall’s learning areas, modern design, and larger spaces, mentioning that it “makes us feel as though we really are a world class institution of higher learning,” and that its size “can accommodate a lot of people, considering how crowded it can be in the remaining buildings, especially during the 10-minute breaks.”
Despite this, Henry Sy Sr. Hall’s floor plans point to the centralization of administrative offices within the building. This incited surprise from students who were expecting more classrooms and office spaces for different student organizations.
As of press time, DLSU offices are now transferring to the new building. Initial plans suggest that the HSSH will house all of DLSU’s office, including ones that visitors would always go to, limiting the incidence of visitors wandering around the University. The move is also a security measure to ensure that only DLSU employees, faculty and students would have access to the University.
For the students or admin?
With numerous offices and learning areas, the Henry Sy Sr. Hall will benefit administrators and students. Students are, however, eager to spend more time in HSSH, according to a sample group of 51 DLSU students.
Many believe that the opening of Henry Sy Sr. Hall will alleviate the congestion in certain areas around Taft. Some, however, point out that the rooms could be more beneficial if they were used for classrooms instead of offices, potentially helping trim down the average class size. The new administration offices feature large spaces and waiting areas, that several students, believe could have been used to accommodate student activities.
A third year Management student affirms, “The school should give more importance to student needs, especially to school organizations.”
One sophomore Psychology student points out that the HSSH is more of a division of the library and administration offices, rather than student spaces. He laments, “I was kind of expecting a building that was going to have more classrooms.”
In an interview with The LaSallian, DLSU President Br. Ricky Laguda FSC shares that several of the old rooms in Yuchengco and St. La Salle Hall will be converted into classrooms to address the growing demand for classrooms of the student population. Moreover, he assures that DLSU will have at least twenty new classrooms.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Development Engr. Aurellano dela Cruz also reveals that the University will construct new walkways to help alleviate crowding in St. Joseph walk and other campus walkways.
He expounds that the University will construct walkways connecting the third floor of St. Joseph Hall and the second floor of Yuchengco Hall to Henry Sy Sr. Hall. The University has also planned an additional covered walkway connecting the North Gate to Velasco Gate.
What remains of the basketball court will be cleared to help remedy the shortage of emergency routes within the campus, providing space where fire engines can traverse, Engr. dela Cruz furthers.
New offices, new designations
Late December last year, many administrative offices moved from their old respective offices to their new designated locations in the HSSH. Offices like the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) have started operating at the academic services hub located on the second floor. The Office of the Admissions and Scholarships (OAS) is also on the second floor of the building.
The University Research Coordination Office (URCO) and the Institutional Testing and Evaluation Office (ITEO) have also transferred to the new building, and have been operational since December, with the former located on the 3rd floor and the latter on the 4th, respectively.
The Library has also started operating under the new name of ‘Learning Commons,’ spanning floors 6 to 13 of the Henry Sy Sr. building, having started the transfer of library collections early December last year. The Library plans to house one million books.
The Office of the President and Chancellor is now located on the 14th floor, alongside the Vice Chancellor of External Relations and Internationalization (EVPERI), the Vice Chancellor for Academics, and the Vice Chancellor of Administration.
The 14th floor also houses the office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Development and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Services.
In addition, the Institutional Research, Planning and Advocacy (IRPA), Institutional Accreditation and Assessment (IAA), Risk Management, Compliance and Internal Audit (RMCA) offices have also transferred to the 14th floor. The floor will also house a visiting office for the Chancellor of DLSU-STC.
Ongoing move
According to Campus Renewal Bulletin #2 from November 2012, the old University Library will be renovated to accommodate department offices of College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and RVR College of Business (COB).
The bulletin furthers that the William Hall, previously occupied by CLA offices, will be replaced by department offices from College of Science (COS), which are presently located within St. Joseph Hall. Second floor Velasco Hall will house faculty from the College of Engineering. The new faculty office designations should expand faculty spaces three times its present size.
The Office of Counselling and Career Services (OCCS) and the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA) will be located on the second floor of Bro. Connon Hall.
For the meantime, CLA offices will move to the North and South Conservatories for temporary operations, and are scheduled to move into the old Library building by May this year, as per Campus Renewal Bulletin #3 of December 2012.
Dr. Luis Sembrano, Chairperson of the Theology Department, feels that the moving of CLA offices is rushed and untimely, given that they have to move to the DLSU conservatory immediately after the holidays. He thinks it would be tricky to settle in time for the PAASCU accreditation.
In addition, University Library Assistant Directors Christine Abrigo and Willian Frias expressed that they previously lacked the manpower to complete the library move efficiently.
Nevertheless, the administration has asked the offices to move, Sembrano says. Br. Ricky mentions that so far, all the offices have cooperated with the move and operations of the different offices met minimal difficulty once the transfers were done.
Vice Chancellor for Administration Agnes Yuhico has yet to respond for an interview.
